The present invention relates to an operational pedal support structure of an automotive vehicle which can restrain a rearward move of a pedal pressing face (so-called pedal pad) of an operational pedal provided in back of a dash panel at a vehicle frontal collision.
In general, when the automotive vehicle has a frontal collision, a power train, such as an engine, (or an engine and a motor of a hybrid vehicle) provided in front of the dash panel moves rearward. Accordingly, a master vac and the dash panel are pushed rearward, resulting in the rearward move of the operational pedal. Some inventions regarding the operational pedal support structure of an automotive vehicle which can provide a so-called rearward move restraint mechanism to restrain the rearward move of the operational pedal for ensuring the safety of a passenger have been made (see the following patent documents).
A conventional structure disclosed in PCT Publication No. WO03/045750 is such that, as shown in FIG. 16, a fixed pedal support member 100 attached on the side of the dash panel is provided, a pedal axis 102 of a pedal body 101 is arranged in a L-shaped slot 103 of the fixed support member 100, and a rotational lever 105 is attached via an axis 104 in back of the pedal axis 102. Herein, the pedal axis 102 is held by a holding portion 105a of the rotational lever 105 at the normal state, while at the vehicle frontal collision the rotational lever 105 comes to hit against a vehicle-body side member 106 provided on the side of an instrument panel member and thereby rotates in the direction of an arrow h, so that a pressing portion 105b of the rotational lever 105 presses down the pedal axis 102 along the L-shaped slot 103. Accordingly, the pedal body 101 is rotated around a pivot of an axis 108 of a push rod 107, so that a pedal pad 109 is moved forward as shown by an arrow i in FIG. 16. Thus, the rearward move of the pedal can be restrained.
According to the above-described conventional structure, however, since the fixed pedal support member 100 needs a support portion to support the axis 104 because the axis 104 of the rotational lever 105 is positioned in back of the pedal axis 102, there was a problem in that the pedal support structure would not be made properly compact. Further, since the rotational lever 105 rotates, the holding of the pedal axis 102 by the holding portion 105a may be unstable. Therefore, there is a concern that the position of the pedal axis 102 would lower improperly according to some operational manner of the pedal body 101 by the passenger. Thus, there was a problem in that the reliability of the pedal support would deteriorate.
Another conventional structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-77150 is such that, as shown in FIG. 17, a fixed pedal support member 201 attached on the side of a dash panel 200 is provided, a pedal axis 203 of a pedal body 202 is pivotally supported at the fixed pedal support member 201, and a rotational lever 205 is attached via an axis 204 in back of the pedal axis 203. Herein, the pedal axis 203 is held by a projection 201a of the fixed pedal support member 201 and a stopper 208 at the normal state, and at the vehicle frontal collision the rotational lever 205 comes to hit against a vehicle-body side member 207 provided on the side of an instrument panel member 206 and thereby rotates in the direction of an arrow j, so that a pressing portion 205a of the rotational lever 205 presses down the pedal axis 203. Accordingly, the pedal axis 203 makes the projection 201a and the stopper 208 deform, so that the pedal axis 203 drops. Thus, the rearward move of the pedal can be restrained.
According to the above-described conventional structure, however, since the fixed pedal support member 201 needs a support portion to support the axis 204 because the axis 204 of the rotational lever 205 is positioned in back of the pedal axis 203, there was a problem in that the pedal support structure would not be made properly compact as well. Further, the stopper 208 was necessary additionally.
Another conventional structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-139345 is such that, as shown in FIG. 18, a bracket 302 is provided at a lower portion of a cowl panel 301, which is a vehicle-body rigidity member which may move rearward only slightly relative to a dash panel 300 at the vehicle frontal collision, and a fixed pedal support member 304 and a swing pedal support member 305 are provided at the bracket 302 via bolt and nut 303 so that they can move rearward at the vehicle collision. These members 304, 305 are formed in a gate shape, and the swing pedal support member 305 is arranged inside the fixed pedal support member 304. Further, a vehicle-body side member 306 is attached to the lower portion of the cowl panel 301, and a wire guide 307 and a plate-shaped projecting member 308 are attached to the fixed pedal support member 304 as a unit. Moreover, a pedal axis 310 is provided at the swing pedal support member 305 via a pivot of a pivot axis 309. A pedal body 311 is attached to the pedal axis 310. One end of a wire 312 is fixed to the bracket 302. A middle portion of this wire 312 is guided by a guide portion 307a of a wire guide 307, and the other end of the wire 312 is fixed around the pedal axis 310. When the automotive vehicle has the frontal collision, the dash panel 300 moves rearward and thereby the fixed pedal support member 304 and the swing pedal support member 305 are detached from the bracket 302 as shown by an arrow k in FIG. 18. Then, the wire 312 tenses, and the other end of this wire 312 pulls back the pedal axis 310. Accordingly, the pedal axis 310 and the swing pedal support member 305 rotate clockwise around the pivot of the pivotal axis 309. Thereby, the pedal body 311 rotates around an axis 314 of a push rod 313 so that a pedal pad 315 moves forward (in the direction of an arrow m). Thus, the rearward move of the pedal can be restrained.
According to the above-described conventional structure, however, since the mechanism to compulsively move the pedal body 311 obliquely forward and downward by pulling out the swing pedal support member 305 at the vehicle frontal collision exists in back of the pedal axis 310, there was a problem in that the pedal support structure would not be made properly compact.
Further another conventional structure disclosed in US Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0162481 is such that, as shown in FIG. 19, a fixed pedal support member 401 attached to a dash panel 400 is provided, a pedal axis 403 of a pedal body 402 is pivotally supported at a lower portion of the fixed pedal support member 401, and a rotational lever 405 is attached to an upper portion of the fixed pedal support member 401 via an axis 404. Further, a vehicle-body side member 407 is attached to an instrument panel member 406, and a T-shaped link 408 and a straight-shaped link 409 are arranged between the rotational lever 405 and the pedal body 402. According to this structure shown in FIG. 19, at the vehicle frontal collision the rotational lever 405 comes to hit against a vehicle-body side member 407 and thereby rotates in the direction of an arrow n, so that a lower portion of the rotational lever 405 pushes a rear portion of the T-shaped link 408 and thereby rotates this link 408 downward as shown by an arrow p. The T-shaped link 408 pushes down the straight-shaped link 409 as shown by an arrow r. Thereby, an upper rear portion of the pedal body 402 is pressed downward, so that the pedal pad 402 is rotated so that a pedal pad 410 can move forward as shown by an arrow s. Thus, the rearward move of the pedal can be restrained.
According to the above-described conventional structure, since the axis 404 of the rotational lever 405 exits in front of the pedal axis 403, the rearward move of the rotational lever 405 may be ensured, but its downward move may not be ensured. Therefore, the two links 408, 409 are used in this conventional structure for ensuring the downward move. Herein, this conventional structure had a problem in that since the mechanism to compulsively move the pedal body 402 exists in back of the pedal axis 403, the pedal support structure would not be made properly compact. Further, since at the vehicle collision the position of the pedal axis 403 may be constant and the pedal may not drop despite the forward move of the pedal pad 410, there was another problem in that any lower space would not be utilized effectively. Moreover, since any proper movement may not be obtained in case the links 408, 409 do not move smoothly due to the vehicle frontal collision, there was further another problem in that the reliability would deteriorate, the number of parts would increase, and the structure would become improperly complex.
In FIGS. 16-19, an arrow F shows the forward direction of the vehicle.